Comparison of the Spatial Location of Seafloor Massive Sulfide Deposits and Deep Mantle Structure Based on Geophysical Fields in the Northern Near-Equatorial Segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Comparison of the geophysical data obtained along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) segment between 10° and 25° N and seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) occurrences made it possible to reveal a number of regularities and relationships in their spatial distribution. SMSs are grouped in the areas with the following features: near-subvertical “microplumes” which a single axial anomaly of the MAR determined by the UU-P07 seismotomographic model is divided into; maxima of Bouguer anomalies between the Vema and Kane fracture zones corresponding to solid mantle volumes and minimum magmatic flow rate; pronounced alternation of spatiotemporal seismicity “voids” and “bands” with a step of ∼1.5°, comparable to the near-surface δVp minima; inversion of spreading rate asymmetry from the east of the MAR to the west within 20° and 24° N south of the Kane Fracture Zone with nontransform south-oriented displacements; and areas with a positive correlation of Bouguer anomalies and the terrain between 19° and 22° N. The relationship of SMSs with the specified geophysical features forms a basis for predicting this type of seabed minerals.